


can we just say the rest with no sound

by siojo



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dogs, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siojo/pseuds/siojo
Summary: A quiet night in after a busy day is exactly what Ace needs. Spending that quiet night with Marco just makes it all the better.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	can we just say the rest with no sound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MyLadyDay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLadyDay/gifts).

“Why is your dad sending me texts about making sure you remember to call you brother on his birthday?” Ace asks, kicking off his shoes at the entrance and hurrying into the living room to find both Marco and Ashes. “Ashes!”

Ashes barks, already sprinting from the open back door to jump on Ace, paws planted on Ace’s shoulders as Ashes licked his face happily.

“Ashes,” Ace laughs, turning his face away from his tongue, scratching behind his ears.

“Ashes,” Marco sighs, clicking his tongue once to call Ashes to him. “Welcome home, what were you shouting about?”

“Your dad,” Ace repeats, pouting as Ashes drops to the floor, even though he stays pressed to Ace’s leg, panting happily. “He’s sent me seventeen,” he pauses glancing at his phone again to check his count. “Twenty messages to remind you that you need to call your brother by midnight to wish him happy birthday.”

Marco frowns, eyes narrowing as his mouth moves silently for a moment, “I thought Izou’s birthday wasn’t until tomorrow.”

“It’s the thirteenth,” Ace corrects, biting back a laugh as Marco pauses, trying to recalculate what day it was. “We celebrated your birthday eight days ago.”

“Shit,” Marco mutters, scrubbing his hand through his hair. “We did. And I didn’t even get him a present.”

“We sent him a lovely set of silk screen print pillows for his office. They’ll be arriving in,” Ace glances at his phone, trading apps quickly. “Twenty minutes. You are going to pay me back half of the cost. Don’t expect me to cover for you next year.”

“That’s what you said last year,” Marco teases, smile soft as he offers Ace one of the mugs on the table. “You say it every year, I think. But you always make sure we get everyone thoughtful.”

Ace shrugs, curling his hands around the mug, still piping hot, “You remember to send something to my mom for me and my siblings when I’m knee deep in work..”

“It’s the least I can do, since you remember all of my family’s birthdays and our friends.”

“Or,” Ace says, smiling smugly over the rim of his mug. “I use my phone to remind me of all those birthdays and have it send me reminders a week in advance.”

Marco laughs and Ace’s stomach twists, feeling too warm at the sudden rush of affection that settles into his chest, “Still, thank you. Izou never lets me forget when I miss his birthday. He’ll complain and tease me about not being able to count.”

“That’s what you get for becoming a chemist. All those letters in your numbers means that you can’t do math without them now.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you,” Marco states. “Drink your tea. I’ve had it on one of those little cup warmer pads that Sabo sent us from his last trip to France. They’re kitten shaped.”

Ace hums, “They work really well. Someone at work tried to steal the one I have there. Work been busy?”

“It’s been interesting,” Marco offers, shrugging when Ace raises an eyebrow. “How’s building airplanes?”

“Building,” Ace answers, laughing when Marco rolls his eyes, dropping a hand to scratch behind Ashes’ ears when he whines for attention. “But seriously, you can create new and terrifying chemicals, but you can’t program your phone to remind you of important dates.”

Marco sighs, scrubbing a hand through his hair, “Pretty sure that is why my last ex broke up with me. Being unable to remember important dates.”

“Your last ex broke up with you because he thought we were fucking. Also because he bust in here one day, destroying my wall, and shouted at us for sharing a blanket on the couch.”

“So scandalous of us. Did he really?”

Ace nods slowly, but didn’t elaborate. Marco’s last ex had been interesting, if only for the fact, Ace can’t remember any of his previous ones threatening to fight him before.

“I’m gonna order in dinner tonight, if you want some. I’m too tired to cook. How much more do you have to do?”

“Nothing that can’t wait, I’ve been trying to get them to give me a few days off by working ahead. Why?”

“Movie night?”

“I love you,” Marco says earnestly and Ace’s heart beats too fast, even though Marco’s said this before and will say it again. “Do you want to see what’s on Netflix?”

Ace shakes his head, dropping onto the couch and biting back a laugh as Ashes climbs into his lap, staring up at him with big, wet eyes until Ace pet him again, “You pick. Preference for dinner?”

“Your pick,” Marco answers, heading back to his home office. Probably to close up whatever he had been working on.

Ace sighs, dropping his head to bury his face into Ashes’ soft fur for a long moment, “He’s going to murder me.” Ashes whines. “Not really, don’t worry. Alright. What do we want for dinner?”

“Are you asking Ashes about food? Because he tried to eat the printer again today.”

“The printer?” Ace asks, both hands holding Ashes’ face, his tail wagging fiercely as Ace’s voice goes higher and teasing. “The printer? Why are you always after that big bad printer?”

Marco sighs, dropping down beside him and ignoring Ashes wiggling to cover his lap too, leaning over him to grab the remote, “Mindless or documentary?”

“Mindless,” Ace answers, skimming the restaurants nearest them. “The usual from the Russian place around the corner?”

“Sounds good to me,” Marco agrees, slumping against Ace’s side. “Pretty sure that I’m going to fall asleep before dinner gets here.”

Ace yawns, pressing his cheek to the top of Marco’s head, smile hidden in his hair as Marco grumbles softly about how Ace was shorter than him. He wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, but it was adorable how Marco thought that would stop him from doing this.

“We can’t both go to sleep,” Marco mutters against Ace’s shoulder, so close that Ace can feel his breath through his shirt. “They won’t leave the food at the doorstep.”

“But consider, I’m tired.”

Marco snorts, “If you fall asleep, you can’t eat.”

“Point considered and accepted. Do I want to know what you put on?”

“Tremors, has giant worms that eat people. Kevin Bacon is in it,” Marco answers, turning up the volume, shouting on screen ending in laughter. “Now, hush. We are relaxing.”

Ace rolls his eyes, leaning back and doing just that, ignoring the warmth where he and Marco were pressed together, petting Ashes’ side until the doorbell rings.

Ashes is already at the door, one of his toys in his mouth to introduce to their delivery driver, tail wagging like a helicopter blade. He’s already shoving his face in the opening door as Ace tries to fight him back.

“Ashes,” Marco calls, whistling when his name fails to summon him back to the living room. “Come here, Ashes!”

“Sorry about him,” Ace says softly, counting out his total and tip to pass over. “He likes to say hello.”

“Friendlier than the last dog I saw today. Have a good night, sir!”

“You too!”

Ace closes the door with a sigh, balancing the bag of food on one arm as he reached for the jar of treats that Marco had set up for Ashes when they had moved in. If he behaved when they had someone come to the door, he got a treat and he had behaved well, for all that he had tried to go and say hello. But Ashes always wanted to say hello.

“I’ll take that,” Marco states, reaching for their dinner over the back of the couch and setting it on the coffee table when Ace finally passed it over. “I paused the movie when you got up.”

“I don't even know what is happening in the movie,” Ace mutters, whistling for Ashes and frowning when he didn’t appear. “Ashes?”

“Under the table.”

“Why is he under the table?” Ace asks, bending down to check on him, jerking back when Ashes licks his face, tumbling backwards and into something solid. “Ow.”

“You hit my head with your head,” Marco hisses through his teeth, rubbing his forehead as he leans back away from where Ace is sprawled in his lap. “Oh.”

“Sorry,” Ace starts, pausing when Marco leans in closer, his hand moving from his head to Ace’s jaw. “Marco?”

Marco shakes his head, looking entirely too distracted as he tilted Ace’s head down, “It’s just a knot, I think. You should be fine. Unless you’re seeing double?”

“No, no. I’m fine,” Ace promises, swallow heavily because for as close and tactile as he and Marco always have been, this is new. “I, I should get up.”

“You don’t have to,” Marco glances away when Ace raises an eyebrow, refusing to meet Ace’s eyes. “I mean, it’s not a big deal. We already were sitting close together.”

Ace shakes his head, “Seems a bit weird to be sitting like this. Hard to eat too and we don’t want,” he pauses, frowning when Marco shakes his head. “Marco?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. We’re best friends, you know.”

Marco swallows and Ace can see how his throat moves, his fingers still pressing against Ace’s jaw, “Not, I mean I do. Love you as a friend. Was trying to confess the first time that I said it though.”

“Confess?” Ace repeats slowly.

“Ask you out. On a date. My ex mostly broke up with me because he said he wasn’t going to date someone who was so in love with someone else,” Ace’s heart stops when Marco looks up at him, soft and nervous, and entirely too hopeful “I love you.”

“You’re the worst,” Ace says firmly, his hands curling in Marco’s shirt to keep them from shaking. “You, I love you too. I’ve always meant it.”

Marco’s thumb is distracting as it slides over Ace’s cheek, slowly like he thinks Ace will ask him to stop, “You do?”

“Yeah,” Ace bites his bottom lip, shifting slightly. Nervous and unsure of what is supposed to happen now. What they both wanted out of it now. “Dinner’s getting cold.”

“It is,” Marco agrees slowly, even though he doesn’t move to let Ace up. “Can I, may I kiss you?”

Ace nods once, sharper than he had intended to, his face feeling too warm as Marco leans closer, pressing their lips together for just a moment before pulling back, face flushed darkly.

“You were, said something about dinner?” Marco asks slowly, hand still warm on Ace’s cheek as he looks at the table. “Before Ashes decides that we’re not going to eat it ourselves and he needs to help?”

“We should, I don’t think dinner will agree with him if he does,” Ace agrees, reluctant now to move from Marco’s lap and loose his attention. “We, we’ll have to talk about this, you know.”

Marco nods, stiff and nervous in a way that Ace’s never seen before, “I know. But I think we’re both to tired tonight. But you have to know that I do love you. I say it enough that my siblings laugh at me..”

“I love you too.”

Ashes barks, peering up at them from under the coffee table, his tail waving excitedly from the other side, interrupting them.

“You little monster,” Ace laughs, forcing himself up and out of Marco’s lap to snag Ashes’ treat. The one he had dropped just a few minutes ago. “You don’t deserve this after scaring me, but just this once.”

Marco laughs and Ace can’t help but to smile back.


End file.
